This invention relates generally to computer-aided learning methods and apparatus, and more particularly to computer-aided learning methods and apparatus to help a user regarding a job.
We are living in the midst of tremendous technological changes. In the workplace, technology might be replacing numerous workers. Our job skill might become obsolete within a decade. Though technology is permeating gradually into every stratum of the society, it is very hard to keep up with so much changes.
Not only is it hard to keep up, technology has made the world much smaller, and global competition much more intense. It is not uncommon for a product to have its software written in India, semiconductor chips manufactured in Malaysia, overall physical design done in Italy, and its promotion extensively performed in the United States. The product uses expertise from so many different places because someone in the other side of the world might be able to do the job better than us, but at half of our price.
Not just facing global competition, we are also challenged by the younger generation. Many of them have access to computers and the Web at a very young age. Before graduation from high school, they might have already spent years playing with the Web. Their knowledge in computer might be much more up-to-date and hands-on than ours. They might be much more effective and efficient than us in performing computeroriented jobs.
From the employees' perspective, they are facing the challenge of keeping their jobs. From the employers' perspective, they may be trying to keep their people. Employers have to produce good products at reasonable prices in order for their companies to survive. But, with competition from so many directions, it is becoming more and more difficult for employers not to consider laying off some of their employees.
Our career is at risk. We need to keep on learning to stay competitive. We also have to keep on learning to help us move up the corporate ladder.
However, many of us are already working full time. It is difficult to find time to learn. Computer-based learning may be able to alleviate part of the problem by allowing learning materials to be conveniently accessible, such as through the Web, or on compact disks. Learning from such materials are typically cheaper than learning from a live instructor in a classroom. Computer-based learning approaches give us the freedom to decide the time and the place to learn. Thus, computer-based learning is an efficient learning medium.
On the other hand, saving time and money to learn may not imply that we know what to learn. Though we may want to learn materials directly useful to our jobs, sometimes, it is not clear what those materials are, and where we can get hold of them. The problem becomes more acute if we are trying to move up in our career. What needs to be learnt may not be easy to define.
It should be apparent that there is a need to automatically provide appropriate learning materials in easily accessible manner for a user regarding a job.